New Suit

[Sly Style]

Well, I finally saved enough pennies to get my latest suit tailored. Its not a true vintage suit, just a knockoff, but it fits the part rather nicely. Its comfortable, and wears well. Here is a picture:

 

[Jerekson]

Looks awesome. Rather familiar, I must say; I have a suit very similar.

It looks great :eusa_clap

 

[Forgotten Man]

Not bad! A tad of vintage advice if I may:

Navy or dark blue are not paired well with black. I'd choose a light gray, blue or white shirt. Light yellow is also very nice with a dark blue suit.

Also, if you want to take the look a little more to the vintage side, take the top buttons off the front, and have a tailor sew a buttonhole on each lapel parallel with the peak as seen on many vintage coats. They had lower buttoned DB suits back then, but they mostly were four buttons. Just tips and hints to making a modern suit look more authentic... and something else you can do on your own, cuff the pants deep... about a 1 3/4" or 2" would be sharp... if you have the extra fabric to spare.

Just helpful and useful tips to making a modern DB appear older.

=R

 

[luvthatlulu]

Not bad! A tad of vintage advice if I may:

Navy or dark blue are not paired well with black. I'd choose a light gray, blue or white shirt. Light yellow is also very nice with a dark blue suit.

Also, if you want to take the look a little more to the vintage side, take the top buttons off the front, and have a tailor sew a buttonhole on each lapel parallel with the peak as seen on many vintage coats. They had lower buttoned DB suits back then, but they mostly were four buttons. Just tips and hints to making a modern suit look more authentic... and something else you can do on your own, cuff the pants deep... about a 1 3/4" or 2" would be sharp... if you have the extra fabric to spare.

Just helpful and useful tips to making a modern DB appear older.

=R

A nice suit...but it can be even better. Forgotten Man's advice is a good start. Permit me to expand a little more and, please, accept this as only well-intentioned criticism and nothing more. Remember, you asked for opinions.

Starting from the top: I would recommend wearing your hat a little more forward on your forehead. Yes, I know we're supposed to be talking only about the suit. But remember --if the eye sees it, the eye measures it. A suit is considered a dressy garment and the simple act of pushing your hat back on your head adds an air of casualness that detracts from the overall look. Everyone gets to wear his or her hat the way they want, but I think you would look even better in this picture with the front of your hat resting a finger width or two above you eyebrows and just "kissing" the top of one ear (your choice) on the side. My opinion.

Suit shoulders look good, no excess billowing in the sleeve. Great. Can't tell if the sleeves are too long or short from this picture. You appear to be about 5' 8" - 10" in the picture; therefore, I'll recommend about 1/2" of shirt cuff should show -- normally. Now here's where strict adherence to "rules" will mess you up. This suit jacket appears to be a tad short. I'm judging that to be the case only because of where the waist seems to be on you. That's not a big deal, but let's not highlight that with too much shirt cuff showing which will only further accentuate the problem (think Alfalfa's jacket in the Little Rascals). Go with slightly less amount of shirt cuff showing and the sleeves will look longer and the jacket, too, to the eye. We're not actually correcting the short jacket problem --we're just camouflaging it.

The jacket may also be a tad tight, but that could also just be the way you are standing. In any event, I would recommend one more fitting by your tailor to remove the horizontal lines just under the breast pocket. Put whatever you normally carry in your jacket, stand in front of a full-length mirror naturally and without posing, and see if you still see those lines. NO? Cool. No problem. YES? See your tailor -- it is an easy fix for him.

Trousers. It's really your call, but I would like to see cuffs, too. Without knowing your exact height, I can't say exactly what I would recommend for a cuff width but 2" may be too much. Here's what you want to think about -- scale and balance. The jacket is a little short and the distance from the bottom of the jacket to the trouser bottom looks long. A horizontal line created by cuffs will trick the eye into shortening that distance and adding the needed balance. I'll defer to your tailor how much to cuff, but I think 1-1/2" - 1-3/4" should be sufficient for your height as I estimate it.



--Not the Lulu

 

[CharlestonBows]

Without knowing your exact height, I can't say exactly what I would recommend for a cuff width but 2" may be too much. Here's what you want to think about -- scale and balance. The jacket is a little short and the distance from the bottom of the jacket to the trouser bottom looks long. A horizontal line created by cuffs will trick the eye into shortening that distance and adding the needed balance. I'll defer to your tailor how much to cuff, but I think 1-1/2" - 1-3/4" should be sufficient for your height as I estimate it.

--Not the Lulu

I agree with most all of your points, including the point about the cuffs on the trousers. Generally, the rule with cuffs is that they should be proportioned to the size of the trouser knee and the lapel on the jacket. For example, if you have a wider lapel, then the trouser knee should be a little fuller, and the cuff should echo the lapel.

In practice, I ususally throw a 1-3/4" cuff for most guys of average build. It finishes the look, is proportional to most garments, and also has the added benefit of giving a little weight to the trouser bottom, helping with the drape.

 

[Jovan]

I mostly agree with the lapel hole comment.

 

[Forgotten Man]

luvthatlulu and CharlestonBows good advice given, and I think you guys are pretty much on the mark but, allow me to please explain why I said what I said.

Now, about the hat and how to wear it and such. I think a little to one side and a little forward would be ideal. However, the suit before the 1960's was a daily outfit in most regards and was considered casual. A dressy outfit was a tux, morning suit or tails. I say, the way one wears his or her hat says something about the individual’s personality so, it should be worn how the individual would feel most comfortable.

Coat length... through out the history of Men's fashion, it has changed from long, to short, then to semi long and so forth, for example, in the 1920's, the first part of the decade coats were on the long side. By the late 1920's, the coats became short... A hair on the skimpy side in regards covering the rear. This lasted into the mid 1930's and by then; the coat became a little longer. By the 1940's, the suit coat covered a man's rear fully. In the 1950's the coat went just a hair longer... passing the rear by an inch or more. So, when a man's coat looks a little short, it reflects an earlier period... such as the late 20's or early 30's.

About the cuffs... I've collected men's vintage and have seen it in all sizes for 11 years... going on 12. I have seen mostly 1 3/4" to 2" cuffed hems on 80-90% of vintage pants I have seen... we must remember that back then, cuffs were a detail that didn't fluctuate in those days depending on one's size or stature. Today, I believe some put to much thought into this... We seem to obsess over small touches in some ways regarding tailoring to one's size. Then, it was a totally different ball of wax. I subscribe to the way it was done in the Depression and early war years my self. If one wants to dress in authentic period or convert a suit into a period looking piece, it so important to have things done just as they were to achieve the most authentic look… In short, toss what you know about today’s “Rules” and just study old movies and photos… and actual vintage items to obtain the most correct look.

Thank you.